It is common for nonmovable structures to include movable structures for a variety of reasons. By way of example only and not by limitation, buildings include windows, doors, double doors, shutters, panels, and the like, for providing access for the users, light, ventilation and so forth. Whenever movable structures are added to a nonmovable structure, however, a weakness in the nonmovable structure is created. The more movable structures a nonmovable structure includes the more difficult it is to secure the nonmovable structure against unwanted intruders.
The prior art solutions include a variety of locks, chains, bolts, and the like designed to provide some measure of safety to the inhabitants of a structure once they are safely inside. The problem with most of these so-called “solutions” is that they do very little in fact to provide additional security against a determined intruder. In fact, most of the prior art solutions connect the movable structure, for example only, the door, to the door frame from which the door is hung. Because the door frame is only minimally attached to the nonmovable structure, i.e. the house, any connection from the door to the door frame is very little security in reality. That is to say, the door frame provides very little sturdy, secure, purchase area for what ever security device is attached to it. As a result, a determined kick can break through most of the chains, locks, and so forth connected from the movable structure, the door, to the door frame, for example.
This problem is known in the art and some security devices are designed to attach the movable structure to the nonmovable structure by means of a dead bolt, for example, from the door through the door frame into the nonmovable structure, or wall, of the house. In the ordinary situation, this requires the drilling of a hole in the door frame and into the wall so as to provide an opening to receive the dead bolt. While an improvement upon a connection to the door frame, the drilling of the hole necessarily weakens the vital center of the door frame and the surrounding wall and does nothing to strengthen the door itself.
A still further problem with the prior art solutions is that even if an adequate dead bolt is provided so that some increased security is achieved, the fact is that another major weakness exists in all movable structures attached to the nonmovable structure in the normal accepted manner. In the typical case, the movable structure, i.e. the door, is attached to the door frame such that the door moves open and shut on a set of two or three hinges. While the hinges are necessary to provide ease of movement, they add another high-level of the vulnerability to the inhabitants. Here again, a determined kick on the hinged side of the movable structure is usually enough to break the door free from the door frame and allow an intruder access.
Thus, there is a need in the art for providing an apparatus and method to ensure that users of nonmovable structures with movable structures therein have the ability to secure the movable structure against unwanted opening. It, therefore, is an object of this invention to provide a cross connecting stop apparatus and method for preventing the opening of movable structures within a nonmovable structure while at the same time strengthening the movable structure itself.